PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21035, 10 February 1940, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed by correspondents whose letters are welcome, but for whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to writ*? in ink. It is essential that anonymous writers enclose their proper names as a guarantee of good faith. Unless thi3 rule is complied with, their letters will not appear.

PAWNSHOPS IN NEW ZEALAND (To the Editor) Sir,—l want to tell the National Party what the Labour Government has done to the pawnshops in New Zealand. Take Wellington with a population of 144,000. There were six pawnshops in that city for years in the depression, and they did a roaring trade, but now that good old Labour is in power, four of these pawnshops have been closed down. If this Government is not doing good, how is it these shops have to close? The National Party cannot deny this statement.—l am, etc., J. MOODY. Hamilton, February 9. GERMANY’S SECRET PRESS (To the Editor) Sir, —In spite of Press censorship, the German secret police have not been able to suppress the circulation of illicit newspapers. Anti-Nazi propaganda is rampant throughout Germany. Printed on hidden presses, these newspapers, a little larger than leaflets, simply flood the country. In spite of firing squads and concentration camps these miniature news sheets continue to circulate. News sheets printed in Antwerp for the Freedom League are smuggled into Germany via Switzerland. Belonging to the league are professional men, writers, thinkers and scholars. A description of the paper by a German-American visitor to the Reich makes interesting reading. “In spite of the frantic efforts of the Gestapo,” he said, “the Freedom League had its leaflets practically everywhere.” The leaflets measure about five by eight inches, printed on thin paper. They are folded four times until they are about the size of a postage stamp. Then they are ready for distribution.

“One needs a magnifying glass to read it, as the type is very fine and small. Still it is the only uncensored newspaper in Germany today. Each issue carries a score of news items which the German Press dare not print.—l am, etc., HARRY WOODRUFFE. Auckland, February 7.